Posts Tagged ‘GOUDE’

Higgins: “Would the world ever have been made if its maker had been afraid of making trouble? Making life means making trouble.” (Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw)

On Louis’ last trip to Paris we were blessed to experience one of the quintessential elements of French culture…the peoples’ exercise of their constitutional right to strike. With the nationwide stoppage of French security agents bringing airports to a crawl, we decided to extend our stay and take in the Jean-Paul Goude Retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, “Goudemalion”.

With subversion in the air (and not a single security guard to prevent us taking photos), we afforded ourselves unfettered access to Goude’s retrospective that plays out with all the drama of Greek mythos. Goude’s transformation tale indeed draws many parallels to those in Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, with Goude a modern day Pygmalion; falling in love with the art carved from his own hands…in his case, Grace Jones.

Illustrator, graphic designer, photographer, director, lover, trouble-maker…this is the Goude that Goudemalion so pointedly unfurls. Goude’s retrospective of controversial and at times confrontational works teach us that only through challenging convention do we evolve perception. If Mr Shaw is correct and making life means making trouble, then Jean-Paul Goude made a whole lot of life!

“Now stands my task accomplished, such a work as not the wrath of Jove nor fire nor sword nor the devouring ages can destroy”. (Book 15 Ovid, Metamorphoses)